Find out how popular the last name Hardwell is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hardwell.

Hardwell, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hardwell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hardwell in America

Hardwell is the 61899th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hardwell surname appeared 324 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hardwell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hardwell to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hardwell

The surname HARDWELL is of English origin, originating in the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "heard" meaning "hardy" and "well" referring to a water source, indicating the name was initially given to someone who lived near a hardy or robust well. The name was concentrated in the rural areas of East Anglia, particularly in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HARDWELL appears in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk, dated 1195, which mentions a William Hardwell. Another early reference can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1277, which lists a Richard Hardwell as a landowner.

In the 14th century, the surname HARDWELL is found in various manorial records and tax rolls across East Anglia. John Hardwell, born around 1320 in Suffolk, is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Cratfield in 1357. The Poll Tax of 1381 for the village of Laxfield in Suffolk lists a Thomas Hardwell as a taxpayer.

During the 15th century, the name HARDWELL began to spread beyond East Anglia, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in other parts of England. William Hardwell, born around 1410 in Oxfordshire, is recorded in the Chancery Proceedings of 1457 as a plaintiff in a land dispute.

In the 16th century, the HARDWELL surname gained prominence with the rise of Sir Thomas Hardwell (1505-1572), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Norfolk. He served as Sheriff of Norfolk and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1567.

Other notable individuals with the surname HARDWELL include Robert Hardwell (1645-1718), a prominent Puritan minister and author from Warwickshire, and John Hardwell (1708-1787), a renowned architect and master builder from Yorkshire, responsible for designing several churches and country houses.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the HARDWELL surname continued to appear in various parish registers, court records, and land deeds across England, indicating its enduring presence and gradual dispersal across the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hardwell

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hardwell.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hardwell was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hardwell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hardwell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hardwell, please contact us.

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